A transformer blew up in an underground vault at the Westside Pavilion on Sunday, and smoke and darkness forced the closure of the large shopping center and an evacuation of its movie theaters.
No injuries were reported, said Shawn Lenske of the Los Angeles Fire Department, adding that firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 10850 Pico Blvd. at 9:01 a.m.
A utility crew from the Department of Water and Power was at the scene to determine what led to the apparent explosion, said utility spokeswoman Kim Hughes.
Lenske said the situation was “static.”
Signals were out at Pico at Westwood boulevards, and the busy east-west street was closed near there.
— City News Service